This England tour has been “a great learning curve” for India captain Shubman Gill. But, even though India have had their moments in this Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, they still trail 1-2 with the chance of winning the series no longer there.

However, if India win the fifth and final Test at The Oval beginning on Thursday, they will be able to deny England a series victory. And finishing the series 2-2 will be a “great achievement” for this young Indian side, believes the skipper.

“The series has been very exciting. One day before the last Test, I am here and I am very excited. The series has been a great learning curve for me.

“There are some things you can only learn from experience. And I have learnt so much from these four matches that we have played.

“If you look at the kind of cricket that we have played, sometimes the scorecard of the series, as in where we are in the series, doesn’t determine that. Every match that we have played, it was very difficult to decide which team is going to win after four days
of cricket.

“If we are able to do that for every game, for four matches, coming outside of India with a relatively young team, levelling the series is going to be a big achievement for us,” Gill emphasised.

The build-up to what could be a fitting series finale has been somewhat marred by a spat on Tuesday between India head coach Gautam Gambhir and The Oval chief curator Lee Fortis, as the former tried to take a close look at the pitch.

Right behind Gambhir, captain Gill said the incident was “absolutely unnecessary”.

“It’s not the first time that we were having a look at the wicket. We have been here for almost two months. A coach has every right to go to close quarters and have a look at the wicket, and I didn’t think there was anything wrong with that.

“I actually don’t know why the curator would not allow us to go have a look at the wicket. All of us have played so much cricket. We have gone near the pitches so many times, and that included the coaches and the captain, so I don’t know what the fuss was about.”

Gill even said there were no such instructions from the curators of the other venues in England. “As far as I remember, there has been no such instruction.

“As long as you are wearing rubber spikes and you are barefoot, I think you can see the wicket closely,” Gill said.